running

today i went trail running in the woods at cornet bay.  i ran swiftly, through old growths and wetlands... through grasses, mosses, and ferns... through cedars, firs and alders. trees upon trees, thick fingers of ancient bark stretching toward the sky.  i was feeling strong and healthy, heaving the fresh ocean air, sun sparkling through the branches, fronds of green gently sweeping my legs as a ran through.  i headed uphill then down, headed northeast, then west, then southwest, then east, then south again.  jumping across mud pits in the trail, i noticed paw prints and hoof prints deeply embossed; dog or horse or elk or deer or coyote or cougar, i wondered.  i went as far as i figured i would go, a couple few miles in, then i stopped to stretch.  there, i turned around to go back.

i soon realized i was lost.  there was a Y in the road i didn't notice before. i followed my intuition down one leg, and ended up face to face with a private property: go no further sign.  that moment, when i realized i was lost in the woods, a cloud covered the sun, and the forest became a dark place, a foreboding place.  i became worried.   i turned around, ran some more, then turned around again, and ran some more.  just before panic could set in, i happened upon a lady with four barky dogs.  "who are you?"  she said suspiciously.  "my name is jessica and i'm lost."  

"well, i figured as much", she said.  "take a left, then a right, then a left."

"thank you," i said, and kept running.